Conversational German: Learn to Speak and Understand German with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur)

I bought Pimsleur's Conversational German because I have always been fascinated with Germany and its language, and at the time was preparing an application to study abroad there (I have since been accepted and will be going there this coming spring). A friend recommended Pimsleur and I decided to try it out.

The first thing that surprised me is that this is a set of CD's. Though I am an auditory learner, I prefer having the words in front of me to get their spelling and so remember them better. Even so, the CDs started off well; it taught me the basics, such as hello, excuse me, how are you, and how to give directions, which all generally qualify as conversation (though directions strikes me as aimed at tourists). I didn't like how slow it was going, but then I am a very fast learner and pick up languages easily, so the pace was probably decent.

Then, however, it became strange. Pimsleur taught me how to ask someone out to eat or to drink, and proceeded to teach me how to say beer and wine. It also taught me how to invite someone to my house or to their place. I also recall something about how to buy things as well. I do not consider this conversational German. I'm not sure WHAT kind of German this is; perhaps a mix between "tourist" and "how to pick up women"?

A few months later, I remember very little of what the CDs taught me. They were extremely repetitive and ultimately bored me. Furthermore, the CDs give the listener no hint of how to form sentences or actually become fluent in German. Despite this, on a few occasions it expected me to be able to put together my own sentences without any knowledge of German grammar whatsoever. I had difficulty remembering phrases in the end because I had no basis to recall them; no knowledge of grammar, no knowledge of verb conjugation, nothing but repeated phrases over and over again.

Ultimately, I found Pimsleur to a poor introduction to a language that I am fascinated by. It expects you to recall and then regurgitate phrases, which is a poor way to learn a language. I also don't see how half of these situations and phrases would come up during an average conversation; when studying abroad I am certainly not planning on asking someone if they would like to have a drink back at my place. Overall, there must be better language programs out there; I would not recommend this one.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you found my review helpful.

The product is a wonderful value and saved our vacation. Please note that this is an introductory course and is not comprehensive by any means. We were told that most everyone in Germany spoke English but found many uncomfortable to do so. This product gave me enough German to convey my wants and desires. The lessons are easy to follow and teach by hearing and speaking. I was able to review all the material in two weeks and got many compliments on how well I sopke the language. This product would be helped greatly by some written material for back up. Overall, I am very satisfied with my purchase and heartily recommend it to any beginner.

Would not recommend this for beginners
As there are no books
I took 2 years in high school
and two years in College
so, I know the grammatical side
and how to spell

I have been amazed that I have been able to learn the language so fast. I truly think this is an excellent program.

I bought this box set for my boyfriend who is serving at a German army base. He says it has been helpful and he sleeps with the cds playing in his ears. Luckily, most Germans speak English but they appreciate your effort to speak German.